Before we go into details, let us tell you what we already know about you:
People usually like you, even if they don’t show it. You also know how to get along, but at times someone really gets on your nerves. You have a huge potential, although you are not using it fully yet. Sometimes you cut yourself off from others and need time to yourself, but in other situations you are the life of the party. You have your own unique style, but in some situations you rely on the opinion of others, especially people you look up to.
Are we right? If so, it’s pure coincidence. Here, we have applied some classic tricks used by the authors of horoscopes, pseudoscientific personality tests or lifestyle quizzes. A bunch of truisms describing standard human behaviours and reactions combined with key words such as ‘usually’, ‘sometimes’, ‘at times’, ‘it happens that’. As a result, our brain, which loves patterns and simplifications, is swept away by the magic, and we become convinced that the description is about us.
Why do people believe psychics?
The use of the word ‘magic’ is not a coincidence, because the first attempts to describe the phenomenon we now call ‘the Barnum effect’ came from watching fortune tellers at markets. This pattern was discovered by P.T. Barnum, a businessman and manager in a number of industries, including the circus business. He noted that people were often satisfied when clairvoyants cast them horoscopes which were actually a collection of generalisations about human nature. He leveraged this knowledge to grow his business (and he was so successful that even today he enjoys a reputation of one of the fathers of modern advertising).
The Barnum effect was picked up by psychologists, who supported it by a series of studies and experiments. They demonstrated that personality descriptions of this kind are accepted particularly well in some situations. Firstly, when we are convinced that the final result is unique. If we feel that it is about us and it has been prepared with us and no one else in mind, we are more likely to accept it as truth. Another thing is looking up to an authority figure who tells us the ‘truth about us’. A person who does not trust psychics in general and assumes in advance that it’s a hoax is very likely to reject the horoscope. But the same person may accept the results of a test conducted by a ‘trusted influencer’, even if they said the same as the psychic, almost word for word. And finally, the third criterion – the description must mention mainly our positive character traits.
What do pseudoscientific personality tests rely on?
Psychics, horoscopes, numerology, palmistry – all of them are non-scientific methods that “a reasonable person would immediately reject.” Unfortunately, the Barnum effect (AKA Barnum-Forer effect) can occur not only in esotericism or “What kind of cake are you” quizzes and the like. It goes beyond entertainment and can even reach the business world.
The Internet has opened the door to self-development. Professional literature, webinars, tutorials are at your fingertips, and so are tests. Thousands of tests to check your competence or score your personality. Very often, they are preceded by a presentation of underpinning facts and an allegedly scientific basis. We then go through enough questions to get the feeling that the result will be tailored to us (and a small group of others) with great precision. Sounds familiar? These are exactly the same foundations that underpin the Barnum effect. Firstly, the result is supposedly ‘tailor-made’ for the recipient. Secondly, the authors of the test gain authority by discussing the methodology.
Unfortunately, pseudoscientific tests of personality, talent or competence are difficult to tell apart from those prepared by competent scientists. Unlike horoscopes, this ‘junk science’ seems to be quite legit.
So should we sound the alarm, as we do with other hoaxes? Interestingly, it’s not necessary.
Why is there no such thing as a ‘perfect test’?
Presumably, even inadequate tests which rely on the Barnum effect can actually drive your development. If you are told that your strengths are empathy and the ability to understand the human psyche, and then you start to grow in this area, read professional literature or take professional courses, you will ultimately achieve your goal of self-development. It would be a mistake, on the other hand, to select project teams or employees for your company based on the Barnum effect.
With this huge demand for development and competency testing, why aren’t there more reliable scientific tests available? There’s a number of reasons. The first and the simplest one is the difficulty of preparing a test that actually works (it’s a lengthy and costly process, so we should not expect the result to be made available for free on a random website).
Another reason for the shortage of good quality tests is... the all-too-general need to “get to know yourself.” Professional tests are designed for a very specific, clear and well-articulated purpose, and in short, they “measure only what they are supposed to measure.”
And finally, we ourselves are the problem, as we interpret the results without any scientific background. Unfortunately, in consequence, even the super-popular MBTI or DISC tests are as authoritative as graphology from the scientific perspective.
Key to self-development: learning and self-reflection
So does a scientifically validated method of personality testing even exist? Or are we doomed to the Barnum effect?
In addition to specialised tests designed for recruiters, criminologists and the like, there are actually some that simply focus on personality. They are based on a personality model called the Big Five. ‘Five’ refers to the number of factors covered by the test: neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness. It is generally assumed that these factors exist in real life, are stable for each individual, are universal across genders or cultures and, finally, are biologically determined. The Big Five is examined based on two types of questionnaires, NEO-Five Factor Inventory and PERSO.IN®. Unfortunately, their availability is restricted, and the results should be reviewed by experts before use.
In short, there is hardly a way to uncover the whole truth about your talents, competencies and personality traits instantly, on your own and for free.
Remember, however, that even when you take a test that relies heavily on the Barnum effect, you can ultimately drive your self-development, especially if you reflect deeply on the results. It’s all about inspiration – reading books and scientific papers, working on yourself. After all, even Newton allegedly created his life’s work by simply observing a falling apple. So an amateur test could be the apple that will spur your development.